13 Movies to See in 2013 – And 13 More

From Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9, comes a sci-fi action film that stars Matt Damon as a soldier whose mission could bridge the gap between the rich – who live in a space station – and the poor, who reside on a desolate earth. While I was one of just a few who found District 9 a bit overrated, I’m still excited for what Blomkamp has developed.

Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and producer Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) combine forces to tell a darker, more grounded origin story of Superman. In Man of Steel, Clark Kent mopes around feeling sorry for himself and his horrible gift (awesome super powers) until General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) attacks Earth, presumably wanting to rule all of humanity. The only reason this movie isn’t #1 on this list is because it’s such a wildcard.

In this secretive sequel to J.J. Abrams’ breakout hit, the world is under assault from one of Starfleet’s own – a mysterious terrorist that some fans suspect is Khan, others a character from the original show who developed super powers and betrayed his comrades. Either way, this doesn’t look like your parent’s Star Trek.

And here are 13 more, in no particular order:

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in an ambitious take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic. The twist? The movie is directed by Baz Luhrmann, who directed Leo in Romeo + Juliet, and also the Oscar-winning Moulin Rouge. The other footnote: the movie was suspiciously pushed back from December 2012 to Summer 2013.

In yet another movie about a post-apocalyptic Earth, Will Smith and son Jaden Smith crash land on the planet and must battle all sorts of angry, mutated creatures. The previews suggest – maybe – that the elder Smith dies early on, but let’s hope for otherwise.